Ukraine Officials Fail to Show to Sign Gas Import Deal

Concerns raised that Kiev is walking away from an agreement the European Union spent months brokering

By

Laurence Norman

Updated Dec. 5, 2013 4:49 p.m. ET

BRUSSELS—Ukrainian officials failed to turn up to sign a deal Wednesday that could open a natural gas supply route via Slovakia, according to several people familiar with the situation, raising concerns that Kiev was walking away from an agreement the European Union spent months brokering.

The gas deal would have opened up a major gas supply route to Ukraine that could have significantly reduced Kiev's dependence on Russian supplies. The EU had hoped the deal would encourage authorities in Kiev to sign onto an EU trade...